Federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are putting Virginia families and food pantries under unprecedented strain. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, about $197 billion was cut under One Big Beautiful Bill, translating into over $350 million in reduced support for Virginia’s nearly 450,000 SNAP enrollees. More than half of the 874,000 Virginians who received $1.76 billion in SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024 are expected to lose all or some of their benefits under new federal rules.
Filling the gap is PORCH Roanoke, launched in August 2024 to mobilize neighbors to collect and deliver food directly to local pantries. In its first year, PORCH Roanoke delivered 6,751 pounds of food (equivalent to 5,625 meals) across the valley, supporting the Presbyterian Community Center, Salem/Roanoke County Food Pantry, Friendship House, Vinton Baptist Church, and St. Francis House, with the Agape Center to be added this fall.
From one neighborhood at launch PORCH Roanoke now spans six active communities: McVitty Forest, Homeplace Salem, Edgemont Vinton, Raleigh Court, Salem Choral Society, and North Lakes, with Mountain Brook Estates and Brandon Oaks Independent Living joining in September.
Federal changes are increasing pressure on the emergency food network. Feeding Southwest Virginia reports monthly visits to pantries across its 26-county region have risen by 20% in the past year. SNAP provides nine meals for every one meal the emergency food system supplies, and small local pantries now face the challenge of purchasing food they never budgeted for.
“Hunger does not pay attention to city limits or geographical boundaries; it affects everyone, pantry and person. Through PORCH, we want to reach every pantry and every person using their services,” said Stefanie Fowler, chapter lead for PORCH Roanoke.
PORCH Roanoke is calling on residents to join in this effort as neighborhood coordinators, food donors, and financial supporters who believe no family in our valley should go without food.
PORCH Communities is a volunteer-led, grassroots hunger relief organization founded in 2010 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. What began with collecting a few cans of tuna for a local pantry has grown into a replicable model based on monthly neighborhood food drives run by hundreds of volunteers in more than 50 chapters across 16 states. Each PORCH Communities chapter receives guidance, support, and the opportunity to positively impact their community. To date, PORCH has provided more than $15 million in hunger relief at the local level. To learn more and join the fight against hunger, visit www.porchcommunities.org
